Writing Advice

How To Follow Up With A Literary Agent

| Posted 05.30.2012

From Writer's Relief staff: It’s hard to be patient when you’ve sent out a query letter and still haven’t heard back from your literary age...

Is There A Formula To Writing Bestsellers?

Peter Winkler | Posted 05.24.2012

Peter Winkler

Is it possible to write a best-selling novel simply by following a formula?

Writing About Writing

Zaki Hasan | Posted 05.23.2012

Zaki Hasan

Suddenly, I'm a writer who used to draw. How'd that happen? Like all skills, your abilities develop the more you do something, and atrophy the longer you're away. You want to be a writer? Write. Looking for inspiration as a writer? Write.

Writers Wednesday: 10 Ways To Annoy Literary Agents

| Posted 05.02.2012

From Writer's Relief staff: In the tradition of David Letterman’s Late Show Top Ten, the submission strategists at Writer’s Relief want to shar...

Where Do Writers Get Their Ideas From? An Interview with Celia Blue Johnson

Brian Gresko | Posted 04.30.2012

Brian Gresko

In short, pithy essays, Celia Blue Johnson recounts how the simplest moments -- a trip, an odd job -- inspired some of the most beloved classics of Western literature. I talked with her to hear more about these fascinating accounts.

What I'm Learning About Life From Writing Novels

Traci L. Slatton | Posted 04.30.2012

Traci L. Slatton

For me, writing novels is an arachnid process: novels are spun into intricate webs out of the silk in my gut. It's work. It's hard. But, to mix metaphors, it's not all pushing a rock uphill.

Writer Wednesday: 5 Signs That You've Made It As An Author

| Posted 04.18.2012

From Writer's Relief Chances are that you’ve technically been writing since you learned to write the alphabet on goofy, oversized lined paper bac...

Proofread Backwards

Maureen Anderson | Posted 04.17.2012

Maureen Anderson

If your résumé sports typos, what's the potential employer going to think? That you're suddenly going to pay more attention to detail once you get the job? Probably not.

Kurt Vonnegut: 8 Essential Elements Of A Good Short Story

Posted 04.06.2012

Aspiring authors are sometimes willing to shell out thousands for writing workshops and MFA programs, but according to Kurt Vonnegut, the late politic...

Anne Lamott, On Parenting, Grandparenting and The Secret To Keeping Your Mouth Shut

Lisa Belkin | Posted 05.20.2012

Lisa Belkin

Reading Anne's books feels like talking to her. Talking to her, it turns out, feels a lot like reading her books -- which are about parenting, faith, writing, love and loss. It isn't happenstance that these all intertwine in her writing, she told us, because they are all braided up in her life as well.

10 Secrets Of Successful Memoir Writers

Victoria Costello | Posted 04.16.2012

Victoria Costello

Unfortunately, many would-be memoirists stumble on the same writing hurdles: if only it wasn't so tough to begin, figure out a plot line, recreate conversations you had five months or five years ago, and keep it all interesting until arriving at "the end."

Protecting Your Bright Ideas From Literary Scavengers

| Posted 02.08.2012

From Writer's Relief staff: Writers who are in the process of submitting their work to agents and editors tend to worry about idea theft. How m...

11 Brilliant Writing Commandments From Henry Miller

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.03.2012

Gretchen Rubin

Cruising around Pinterest (my new toy), I came across this list of Henry Miller's 11 work commandments. I'm astounded by how absolutely apt these commandments are for my own writing practices.

Writing Prompts From Famous Authors

Posted 04.03.2012

Our friends at the online literary community Figment, have launched Figment Daily Themes, a free email service designed to help subscribers get into t...

Omit Unnecessary Words: 5 Valuable Writing Lessons From Twitter

J.S. McDougall | Posted 03.18.2012

J.S. McDougall

I'm a writer, and I'm in love with Twitter. For the longest time I couldn't explain why I am so enamored with a platform which limits me to only 140 characters. And last night it dawned on me. Twitter makes me a better writer.

131 Steps to Writing a Novel

Christopher Herz | Posted 02.18.2012

Christopher Herz

After my second book, Pharmacology, a few people have asked what my process was. Got me thinking about everything goes into writing one of these beasts.

Writer Wednesday: 5 Most Dangerous Career Pitfalls For New Writers

Posted 12.01.2011

From Writer's Relief: The writing life is fraught with dangers big and small—everything from life-crushing depression to sore fingers from long t...

Writer Wednesday: 9 Brain Foods For Writers

Posted 11.23.2011

From Writer's Relief staff: We all know certain foods contribute positively to your physical health, and some foods contribute positively (in inche...

The Best Writing Tool Ever?

Madeleine Crum | Posted 11.21.2011

When you sit down to scribe a killer essay or your take on The Great American Novel, do you usually wind up with a headache, a blank page and a disenc...

How Our NaNoWriMo Writers Keep Motivated

Madeleine Crum | Posted 11.16.2011

National Novel Writing Month, a task urging authors of all backgrounds to pen 50,000 words before November 30th, is halfway over. We've already asked ...

Our NaNoWriMo Writers: Their Favorite Characters, Biggest Sacrifices

Madeleine Crum | Posted 01.09.2012

Writers young and old, published and un-, are striving towards their goal of scribing 50,000 words by the end of November as National Novel Writing Mo...

One Novel, 30 Days

Isabel Kaplan | Posted 01.08.2012

Isabel Kaplan

National Novel Writing Month is a web-based writing "challenge" which challenges participants to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. NaNoWriMo counsels participants to understand that "You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing."

One Thing Readers Hate

Alan Watt | Posted 12.31.2011

Alan Watt

Coincidence lacks conflict. Sure, they occur in our lives every day, but in a story, coincidences are generally a problem.

Close the Door

Lisa Unger | Posted 12.27.2011

Lisa Unger

There's a village in my computer -- friends, fans, readers, and colleagues. It's a populous, sometimes chaotic little burg always bustling with news, gossip, opinions and potential excitement.

On The Postmistress: Interview With Sarah Blake

Laura Cococcia | Posted 10.23.2011

Laura Cococcia

The Postmistress offers an inimitable blend of World-War-II-era history, stunning heroines and a very different look at the power of how we once communicated versus how we communicate today.